NEW DELHI (AP) — An association of publishers and rights groups has condemned Bangladesh’s interim government’s decision to revoke the press credentials of 167 journalists, calling it a threat to press freedom in the country.

Between October 29 and November 7, the Department of Press Information revoked the credentials in three stages, drawing widespread criticism from media advocates and journalists.

The move added to concerns about press freedom and harassment of journalists following chasing of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina August in a student-led uprising against her government.

The Editors’ Council said the revocation of accreditation by the interim government led by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus risks “fostering a climate of exercise of control, including censorship, over the media”.

No reason was given in the notices by the department except that the decision was taken in accordance with the provisions of a 2022 policy.

The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

In a statement, the Publishers Council said Tuesday that while officials have the right to review any misuse of credit cards, they should not take action without providing specific allegations and evidence of wrongdoing.

He added that the decision was also against the spirit of the revolution which overthrew Hasina’s 15-year rule. Hundreds of people have been killed in the riot that began as a protest against government jobs and turned into a full-scale revolt against Hasina’s growing insurgency. autocratic administration. Hasina fled to India.

The editors’ association said the caretaker government’s move repeated the “undemocratic practices” of the previous Hasina-led government and urged Yunus to stand up for media rights.

Hasina’s government has been accused of using harsh tools and draconian laws to crack down on dissent, curtail press freedoms and clamp down on civil society. In 2024, her last year in power, Bangladesh dropped to 165th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index, the country’s lowest ranking ever.

Journalists can continue to report and write without accreditation, but they will not be allowed into any government ministry, limiting their ability to cover official events or press conferences. An AP journalist was among the 167 whose credentials were revoked.

“We condemn in the strongest terms this move by the Bangladeshi authorities to crack down on independent journalists. We urge the interim government to immediately reinstate our journalist’s credentials,” said AP Executive Editor Julie Pace.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said in a statement that the decision to drop the accreditation “encourages self-censorship” and was “incomprehensible” because it came just a week after the Ministry of Information set up a committee for monitoring cases of harassment against journalists.

Transparency International Bangladesh called the revocation of accreditation cards, as well as other reports of threats and attacks against the media, an indicator of “an authoritarian anti-people regime”.

The caretaker government, which took over in August, previously promised to restore democracy and support a free press. In an interview with the country’s largest newspaper, Prothom Alo, Yunus pleaded for press freedom. “Write as you wish. Criticism. If you don’t write, how will we know what is or isn’t happening?” he said last month.

But harassment and attacks against journalists persisted.

At least 25 journalists, including those perceived to be pro-Hasina, have been charged for alleged violence in connection with the protests, according to Reporters Without Borders.

In August, Human Rights Watch denounced the arrest of two journalistsand expressed concern that the justice system “replied its abusive and partisan behavior” without following due process and “was only reversing those targeted.”